If you’ve ever made a variation of this classic Italian dish… you know the routine. You dirty about a dozen pots and pans just in the preparation – a pot to boil water, a Dutch oven for the marinara, 3 to 4 plates for the chicken prep (think: flour, egg wash, breading)… then another deep skillet to fry the chicken. Then you’ll need to layer it all in a casserole dish and run it under the broiler to make sure that cheese is all good and melty. That’s option one.

Option two involves ordering it at the neighborhood Italian bistro, which can get pricey when you throw in a glass of wine and service charge – not to mention the noisy atmosphere.

And then there’s option three: buy it off the shelf, ready-made from Cooking Light, take it home, and bake at your leisure. It’s everything you want in a chicken parmesan dish – tender grilled chicken breast that’s layered over pasta, and tossed with aged Parmesan cheese and a zesty vine-ripened tomato sauce, simmered low and slow with garlic, onion, basil, and extra-virgin olive oil. Yum, right??? A toasted panko topping adds a crispy touch – our way of bringing the pleasures of crunch without the calories that come with deep-fried chicken. Serve it alongside a bright, crisp green salad and glass of vino. We hope you’ll enjoy this delicious, healthy weeknight meal as much as we did – so good, we had to share it with you!